Kathmandu, July 7, 2006

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs KP Oli today said he did not read the final letter that was sent to the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, by the government on UN’s role in Nepal’s peace process.

“I had read the initial draft and it was approved by the Cabinet, but I did not read the final letter bearing Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s signature.

I can’t say whether the initial draft was changed before sealing the envelope,” Oli told the Parliamentary Committee to Monitor Dialogue Process and Ceasefire.

He could not produce a copy of the letter sent to UN before the panel, but assured the committee members that he would be able to provide the letter by Sunday morning.

When the chairman of the committee, Subhash Chandra Nembwang, asked Oli why his ministry didn’t keep a copy of the letter, the foreign minister said, “I do not have it because I cannot go and look for it in PM’s briefcase.

I could not coordinate with PM’s personal secretariat on the matter as the PM is hospitalised.” Stating that the PM was the ultimate authority to sign the letter, he held the PM’s personal secretariat responsible for keeping the official copy of the letter.

Oli claimed that the letter was not against the national interests, as “it has not asked for military support from the United Nations”.

He added that the government has requested the world body for its assistance in “monitoring ceasefire, decommissioning of arms, observing election to the Constituent Assembly and monitoring the Nepalese Army.”

Educationists say SLC board must be scrapped

Educationists today underscored the need to do away with the existing School Leaving Examination (SLC) board and suggested class 12 be made the exit point of the school level education.

Laxman Rajbanshi, the founder principal of Siddhartha Vanasthali Institute, said the marking system in the SLC board is not right and hence the government should adopt and strictly follow the grading system.

Addressing an interaction organised by the Education Journalists’ group, Rajbanshi said: “The SLC examination put much pressure on the students and that has to be stopped.”

Talking about a board topper girl committing suicide nearly three decades ago when she failed in the intermediate level, he said: “The impact on the students’ psychology has not been studied by the government.”

Dr Mana Prasad Wagley said a conspiracy may be going on as the Office of the Controller of Examinations (OCE) said it would provide the list of the top ten students only to an authorised body upon a request after a week.

“The yearly pass percentage difference in the SLC examination results brings to light the negligence going on in the Office of the Controller of Examinations.